- Date
- June 8, 1991, 15:00 local (19:00 UTC)
- Place
- Warrenton, VA
- Injuries
- 1 serious
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Phase of flight
- Maneuvering
- Aircraft
- N711BHagaman Pitts Pitts S
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report March 31, 1993
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- Case key
- 11617
From the NTSB’s public API. By law, NTSB reports can’t be used as evidence in lawsuits over the accident.
On this page
Probable cause
The pilot misjuded altitude and clearance above the terrain. Contributing to the accident was aerobatic maneuver performed at low altitude.
Sequence of events
NTSB’s coding before 2008: each occurrence and phase of flight, and the causes and factors under it. The codes are defined in NTSB’s coding manual.
In flight collision with object
Object - tree(s)Factor
Aerobatics - attemptedFactor
Altitude - misjudgedCause
Clearance - not maintainedFactor
Analysis
After doing several aerobatic maneuvers, the plt tried to do a loop at low altitude over the airport. The acft struck trees at the bottom of the loop. The investigation did not disclose evidence of mechanical malfunction.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N711B
- Reported as
- Hagaman Pitts Pitts S
- Category
- Airplane, amateur-built
- Serial number
- 7275
- Engine
- Lycoming O-320, 160 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Operator
- William E. Gladstone
- Registered owner
- William E. Gladstone
- Airworthiness certificate
- Special, Experimental (Special)
- Last inspection
- Annual · January 2, 2000
- Destination
- EZF · Fredricksburg, VA
- Airport
- 53VA · Horse Feathers, runway 36, 2,600 × 60 ft, grass/turf
Flight crew
As NTSB recorded them. NTSB leaves out names.
- Role
- Pilot
- Age
- 70
- Certificate
- Commercial
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land, Multi-engine land
- Medical
- Class 2, Valid Medical--w/ waivers/lim
- Seat
- Center
- Flight hours
- 3,000 total
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- -0 °F, dew point -0 °F
- Altimeter
- 29.00 inHg